Prep the sandwiches the night before?

[LittleBirdBlues]

Dd's 2nd birthday, expecting 8 children and their parents.

I'm planning to make sandwiches. One type with cheese/onion, one with ham and cucumber, one with jam.

Can I prepare these the night before? Party starting at 10/10:30 so I want to keep the morning efforts to a minimum.

I will also be chopping up carrots, cutting cherry tomatoes, slicing cucumbers.

Obviously cakes etc will be sorted. ;)

What can I prep in advance?

Yes, I'd do sandwiches the night before - but tightly packed in cling film or airtight Tupperware, not artfully displayed on trays/plates. I wouldn't bother putting cucumber in the ham ones as 50% would be picked out, and they'd be soggier by morning.

I'd baton the carrots too - into a sealed sandwich with a couple of tablespoons of water.

Cherry tomatoes and cucumber in the morning.

Wot no party rings?

Yes!! I'd love to prepare in advance so yank you for the advice.

What are party rings???

... are you serious?

Party Rings are essentials for parties. Honestly.

Get some jelly made, forget sandwiches, just do squares of cold pizza and lots of crisps.

Don’t put onion in the cheese sarnies. Yuck.

You could do but to be honest it doesn't take that long to make sandwiches for 8 children and parents. What I'd save time on is skipping adding the onion. At least for the 2 year olds. I don't know many children that age who would have a sandwich with onion in it and not spend time painstakingly picking all the bits out.

Are you in Yorkshire?!

I assumed cheese and onion were for the adults.

Whom one assumes the OP is trying to impress.

No sandwiches.

Let them eat cake, sorry crap!

But party food now!

I assumed cheese and onion sandwich filler

Oh dear, I'm European and had never heard of party rings!!

Really, cheese and onion is not good for small kids? I'll make a few more, onion free . My kids are really easy to feed so I didn't realise this was a no no.

Oh God I hate doing parties. I'm always really nervous trying to make sure everybody has a nice time. I'm pretty kuch sorted now, except for for the he additional plain cheese sarnies and sliced veg.

I thought I was keeping it simple with sandwiches and some cake! Plus crisps etc. Certainly not trying to impress anybody, what a weird thing to suggest.

There will be a bonfire too so baked potatoes and corn on the cob etc. I'll have too much food, im sure of it!

Keep the sandwiches as plain as possible - so plain cheese (def no onion), plain ham. I do egg mayo too as that is my dc favourite- you have to have your favourite sandwich on your birthday! A few bowls of plain crisps like pom bears or hula hoops , veg sticks, cartons of juice. They will eat a tiny amount. Treat food like chocolate fingers, small muffins. Enjoy the party.

I would be very nervous about a bonfire with 9 two year olds running about - as a host and as a guest- i wouldn't be able to relax at all.

Outanding I have most of the stuff you mention, crisps for the adults, just plain salted, some snacks for the kids, treats etc.

The cheese and onion sandwiches are my DDs favourite so that's my excuse for haunt a whole tray of them now! I'll just add a couple more plain ones to make sure everybody is happy.

There'll be 10 kids and around 15+ adults... It's around lunchtime so I hope they'll all be hungry!

I said it sounded like you were trying to impress the parents because the food you were planning sounded both edible and nutritious which is not what children's party food is normally like in Britain. If you are from then that makes perfect sense.

It sounds great. Hope the children have a good time and you have ready for afterwards.

Mrs Hathaway understood! There will be plenty of un-nutritional food too! Trying to blend in with the locals and all that...

I have and ready for when it's all over!

Thanks for all the advise above. All my sandwiches are ready and wrapped tightly in clingfilm. Carrots are chopped and in zip bags with two tablespoons of water. Cakes ready to go.

Is there such a thing as a simple kids birthday party? Honestly I thought I had tried this time to keep it simple but i will spent 5 hours cooking and baking and prepping this afternoon.

Is this normal?!

Perfectly normal. Welcome to the club.

Good news is that when they're a bit older you can get away with taking just one carful of friends to the cinema and a chain pizza restaurant. Similar outlay, zero washing up.

Mrs Hathaway you give me hope! My oldest is 3.7, how much longer do I have to wait??

Party today was really brilliant though it's all good. I can't wait for my wine now!

Well done!

Our first cinema party was when DC1 turned six. He's had a party at home since but it was football on tv, Dominos (delivered) and a metric fuckton of sweets and crisps. We only really supervised the cake bit.

That sounds so much less stressful! Cinema will definitely be on der my list. Right mów we still needs lots of space for he kids to run and for the adults to sit.

When did you stop inviting the parents? It would e easier without!

We were really lucky today as all the kids and parents that turned up were lovely, and we've potentially made new friends with a couple too which is nice as we're in a new area. Also, it was dry, so we went ahead with the bonfire. And had lots of allotment potatoes, sausages, marshmallows. It was lovely. I love a party and I like to host, it's just the stress beforehand that I struggle with!

I think 7 was where parents happily all went for "drop and run" - from 4/5 you get fewer parents but a few stay, usually your friends or the parents of fussier children. Eldest is now 9 and I never stay for his friends' parties even when I'm friends with the parents.